Hollow Butler
by Kuroshi1
Summary: I decided to "write down" the events of Black Butler 2 episode 9, "Hollow Butler". Yes, it's long, but it'll definitely be worth it! If I gets lots of good reviews I write out every single episode of Black Butler from beginning to end! Little pairings if I can manage it without altering the storyline directly.


**So I decided to write a little book-form-thing of Black Butler season 2 episode 9. If I get lots of reviews, I'll start from the very beginning and just re-write the whole Black Butler series from beginning to end. Tell me what you think :) Note: I used the subbed version for this, but I kept the lines exactly the same :)**

The landscape stretched dark and grey over the Trancy estate, seeming to indicate the web of conspiracy that was taking place within. Outside, all was silent, but inside, a deep voice could be heard echoing throughout the halls.

" My fellows of the deep, beloved darkness..." It began. The man man raised a small, red box and opened it. "Here, I have..." He opened the paper inside, and delved amongst the tea leaves, taking out a small gold ring with diamonds encircling a deep red ruby, the colour of blood. The man gazed at it a moment before continuing, "Alois Trancy's soul." The ring flashed in the candlelight. The man holding the ring was an impeccably-dressed butler, with black hair and golden eyes that were covered by spectacles. One piece stood out from his clothing - a rose on his chest, dyed an unusual, blood-red hue. He stood in front of four other people, three of whom looked and dressed exactly alike, with red eyes and violet hair. The fourth was a maid with a bandage over her left eye. She wore a purple dress, and her greyish-purple hair cascaded down past her shoulders to be hidden underneath the table. The golden-eyed man, Claude Faustus, ex-butler to Alois Trancy, whom he had brutally murdered, stared at his once-master's soul for a moment before continuing to speak.

"And what am I doing with it?" He glanced at his companions. The twin on the far right kept silent, but held up a crudely-drawn picture of the black-haired man preparing to place the ring on his outstretched-tongue, devouring it. Claude's eyes widened. "Close!" He said. The twin on the far left held up a picture of a young blonde woman gazing admirably at the ring, which sat perched on one of her fingers, a declaration of love. Claude's eyes closed as he sighed, "Wide of the mark." The middle twin continued to draw as Claude casually walked over to the woman and stood before her. Hannah. The tree twins stopped what they were doing and glanced at the woman, awaiting her response. The woman's expression did not change as she blandly stated, "The decor has changed." The twins eyes widened and they began to whisper amongst themselves, too quietly to be heard. Claude's glasses flashed as he raised his hand and pointed at the woman, with the ring caught between his two outstretched fingers. "Right on the mark!"

Claude leapt up onto the table and began to spin like a ballerina as he spoke again. "I've changed the manor's navy color scheme to midnight blue." He raised his leg high into the air, and his eyes took on an almost loving look. "A subtle difference that only a select few will notice. He stopped spinning, and gazed at the ring as a devilish smirk danced across his face. "Though their souls may be fundamentally different, they have one thing in common: the pasts that color them. And that... he said as he turned towards his companions, "is useful." His eyes narrowed deviously.

Meanwhile, another man, similar in appearance to Claude, with raven-black locks, the same impeccable taste in clothing, and a similar blood-red rose attached to his chest, sat reading a letter by candlelight. He smiled in understanding. "I see, so that's their move..."

A young boy of thirteen with ashen gray-blue hair stood at his window, dressed in only a nightshirt, his deep blue eyes gazing out the window, lost in thought. He turned his head as a soft knock sounded from the door, and the room was illuminated by the glow of a candle. Sebastian softly closed the door before turning to the boy. "Can't you sleep, my lord?" He queried. "Sebastian." The boy acknowledged his butler's presence, before turning his eyes downwards. "It's not that..." The boy sighed before continuing. "I suppose a killing doesn't play out like one imagines." Sebastian narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. Ciel Phantomhive walked to his bed and crawled under the covers as he continued speaking. "I thought he'd die easily, but it's quite difficult to kill like you, without hesitation or honor." Sebastian smiled. "I'll take that as a compliment." Ciel lay in silence for a few moments before clutching at the covers. "I can't sleep. Tell me a story." Ciel's face was illuminated by the glow of the candle as Sebastian walked over. "In that case..." Sebastian said, pulling a letter from his right breast pocket, "I'll read you a message from Her Majesty the Queen." Ciel gasped as his eyes widened and he turned to face his butler, all thoughts of sleep forgotten.

A young boy gasped and panted as his feet pounded on the dark London streets, desperately trying to carry him away from the entity that was fast approaching him. The boy glanced behind him as he saw a caped figure descending towards him. He turned around and gasped, only to let out an ear-piercing wail a moment later as he glanced up at the pale full moon before his vision went red.

"Recently there's been a spate of eye-gouging in the London area." A carriage rolled through the London streets, carrying a richly-dressed boy and his butler. Sebastian was presenting the details of their newest case to his young Master. "Though the victims aren't all of the same class, they are all young boys." The boy scoffed. "A perverse business." Was all he said before turning his head to gaze out the window, memories of the past few days flooding into his head. Alois Trancy, lying on the ground in a pool of his own blood, clutching at the wound Ciel had dealt to him, tears running down his face as he attempted to beg for his life. "You don't understand anything!" He'd said, "You're just being tricked by a demon!" Alois had pulled himself up to clutch at Ciel's legs, tears flowing freely down his face. "You and I are the same!" He'd said. How? How was he anything like that greedy, sadistic brat? He thoughts were suddenly cut off by his butler's voice. "What is it?" Ciel turned away from the window, deciding to put all thoughts of Alois Trancy to the back of his mind. Besides, he couldn't have Sebastian knowing he was second-guessing his decision to kill Alois. "Nothing." Sebastian stared at his young Master, aware of his young Master's lie, but unable to fathom what was truly going on inside the young boy's head. The carriage continued on, neither occupant aware of the person who stood on top of a nearby roof, casting a shadow as he watched the carriage's progress.

"I dunno!" The boy shouted angrily, "He just up an' stuck his fingers into my eyes, and everythin' went red" The boy gazed unseeingly at his hands. "Now I can't see nothin'. Nothin'..." Ciel continued on, unaffected by this display of emotion. "What was the criminal like?" At this, the boy's tone turned bitter. "He was a kid. About the same age as me, but he looked plenty rich." "A kid?" Ciel asked in surprise. The boy nodded. "That bloody bastard!" The boy growled, then began to sob, and it became clear that he wouldn't be answering questions anytime soon. Ciel left the house and walked down the front steps while a few children scurried off, giggling. "Sebastian." Understanding immediately, Sebastian nodded. "Of course."

Birds chirped merrily up in the sky while Claude sat in a chair in the main garden of the Trancy estate. He had a hot cup of tea sitting on the table next to him, and was calmly working with a crochet hook, putting together the first few stitches. As he stitched, he thought to himself, "A demon has devoted time and effort to building up that soul stitch by stitch. If I'm to steal it, it's only proper that I do so respectfully, stitch by stitch."

Ciel Phantomhive stared at the paper in front of him as his butler filled him in on what he had learned. "We've obtained several witness reports by now." He stated. "They all point to a boy dressed like a noble." Ciel smirked. "He mocks me." He said, glancing up at Sebastian. "My Lord?" Sebastian asked, his face betraying no emotion. Ciel looked back down at the paper he was holding. "Look." He took out a pen. "I'll draw a line between the Phantomhive and Trancy estates. Now, if I connect the scenes of the crimes..." Ciel held out the map for Sebastian to see. "A spider web." He stated bluntly. "He's behind this."

"It may be that his butler is acting alone, young master." Ciel continued on, giving no indication that he'd heard Sebastian speak. "So he survived? He's persistent, I'll give him that." Ciel fell silent, deep in thought. "Young master..." Sebastian began, but Ciel was too lost in his own thoughts to notice. "I see..." His eyes closed, but whether in disappointment or relief, Sebastian couldn't tell. "So he survived..." Ciel snapped himself out of his thoughts, and when he looked up, his eyes blazed with their usual unwavering determination. Turning to Sebastian, he said, "A butler answers his master's questions reliably and truthfully. Am I right?" Sebastian bowed. "Quite right." He stated. Ciel's eyes blazed. "You aren't hiding anything from me about Alois, are you?" Sebastian's lips turned up with the hints of a smirk. "No, nothing about Alois." Ciel nodded. "Then my-" He was cut off by a sudden explosion erupting right next to them. Ciel raised his arm to shield his face, but Sebastian lifted him into his arms and jumped to the top of a wooden stall, protecting his young master from harm.

"The spider butler?" Ciel asked in shock. Sebastian's eyes narrowed as he took in the scene before him. "No, this is..." To Ciel, the houses of London still stretched silent as ever, but Sebastian must have sensed a presence, because he leapt down to a nearby box and, placing his master inside, said, "Stay here, young master." Ciel took off his hat with an unwilling pout. "It smells." He complained. "Please bear with it for a bit." Sebastian grabbed the lid to the box. "You musn't take one step out of this box, do you understand?" Ciel sighed in defeat as Sebastian placed the lid over his head, trapping him in darkness.

Sebastian ran down the alleyways, seeing the missing puzzle pieces begin to come together in his mind. "Ah, yes...First they lure us out with orders from the Queen, and then for their next chess move, they use the ones sure to act whenever there is a soul-related problem." Sebastian glanced up as the clothes that had been hanging out to dry suddenly fluttered down as the lines supporting them were the clothes, he grabbed onto a clothesline and propelled himself up to the roof to keep in the open. Just as he landed on the roof, however, he heard a dull roar and leapt out of the way as an oddly-shaped machine crashed into the roof, where he had been standing not a moment before. Had he remained, the machine would most certainly would have crushed his skull. Looking behind him at his newest enemy, he noticed bright, yellow-green eyes as the man expertly handled his machine and rode it down towards him for another attack. Sebastian's eyes narrowed. "Grim reapers." He said with a distasteful frown.

The blonde-haired, bespectacled man turned his machine around, his eyes scanning for his enemy, not noticing him until it was too late as Sebastian took out three knives and threw them with deadly accuracy into the back of his death scythe, causing it to roar more loudly than usual and begin emitting smoke. "Ugh!" He cried, lifting his scythe into the air. "Come on, give me a break..." He moaned. The rotors at the front of his scythe stopped turning as the machine shut down completely. He moaned again. "It's totally busted..." He said to himself.

Meanwhile, Sebastian had landed on the roof directly behind this new enemy, and, as the blonde man cursed his ill fortune, Sebastian spoke. "I don't believe we've met." He stated pleasantly. The blonde man turned his head to Sebastian with a resigned air. "Yeah, hi." He said, giving Sebastian the impression that the boy had no sense of formality or manners. The man then turned around, placing a confident grin on his face. "The next diehard grim reaper is Ronald Knox!" He said dramatically, giving a twirl and bringing his hands up into a "rock on!" pose. There was complete silence for a full five seconds, before the man's face fell. "Yeah, that's just so wrong." He said, sighing and bringing his arms out in a helpless gesture, the reached a hand up to scratch the back of his head as he explained, "Senior Sutcliff said I needed a catch phrase, so I had a girl from the general affairs department think one up..." Ronald Knox shifted his gaze to the cloud, realizing he had just completely embarrassed himself.

"Please don't worry about it." Sebastian said with a smile that could almost be taken as kind, were it not for his slightly narrowed eyes, "Today that catch phrase will end along with you." Taking out another knife, he proceeded to question the man. "I assume your bureau is acting because of strange soul movements?" The sudden sideways shift of the man's eyes was all the answer Sebastian needed. He carried on with a smirk. "Perhaps the soul of a deceased called Alois Trancy has proven to be unrecoverable, for instance?" What appeared to be an extended pair of garden shears was suddenly headed straight for Sebastian's head as a new voice answered, "Indeed!" Sebastian jumped out of the was just in time, landing on another roof as he turned to face this newest opponent. The man was tall, with a dark brown suit. He carried a book under one arm and his yellow-green eyes indicated that the garden shears were most likely the man's death scythe. "I might have known you'd be involved, Sebastian Michaelis."

Ciel Phantomhive sat curled up into a ball inside the box. Now that he was left alone with his thoughts, he had nowhere to run as he sat contemplating the strange feeling that was causing his stomach to clench uncomfortably. "It's this feeling again." The feeling got stronger as he struggled to discover the source of the uncomfortable sensation. "I was trapped someplace like this for a long time..." Ciel vaguely remembered a cellar, dark and musty, and a box of tea that somehow stood out from all the rest. "I know I've forgotten something. But I can't remember it. Alois and Sebastian know what it is, I can feel it." His hand tightened on his cloak in frustration. "Only I've forgotten." Suddenly, a group of children just outside the box began to sing.

_"London bridge is falling down, falling down, falling down~"_

Ciel's eyes widened as a rush of forgotten memories suddenly forced their way into his brain, each zooming in and out of his mind so fast he couldn't keep up. "What is this?" The sudden intrusion of the violent memories made Ciel clutch at his head as he squeezed his eyes shut and fought to remain silent.

_His house, burning. A woman dressed in white with what appeared to be wings. He hands, dripping with blood. The serene smile one her face as she lifted the head of a body. His parents' faces, stitched together. A man with a sword and Sebastian dueling fiercely, Sebastian swung his knives and..._

_ The black veil flew high off into the air, and hands came away from the person's face to reveal a young woman, tears streaming down her unnaturally perfect face._

Ciel began to pant as he heard mocking laughter mixed in with the memories and the childrens' song, and suddenly memories of Alois Trancy began to slide into the mix.

_"You and I are the same!"_

Ciel clutched his head harder. "Sod off! I'm nothing like you, you vile-" Ciel groaned as another wave of pain hit him, and he doubled over in agony.

_Sebastian, bent over a small red trunk as the words he'd told Ciel echoed through his mind, "You mustn't take one step out of this box." Sebastian, closing the trunk, looking so forlorn, as though he'd just lost _something_ extremely precious to him..._

"Sod off..." Ciel murmured. Suddenly he straightened, determined to discover what Sebastian was hiding. "Don't you order me around!" He burst out of the box, startling the group of children playing just outside. He took off running, yelling, "Kids should go play at home!" One of the young boys shouted back, "You're a kid too!" One of the younger girls added, "Yeah!"

"For crying out loud..." William T. Spears continued his relentless assault on Sebastian, grumbling to himself as he did so. "Thanks to Grell Sutcliff, I have to work overtime again!" Sebastian attempted to put some distance between them and William gave chase, while more pieces of the puzzle fell into place, creating a rather disturbing picture. "I was right," He thought, "Alois Trancy is dead." Sebastian grabbed onto the annoying death scythe and pulled himself closer to the reaper as his thoughts continued to piece together Claude's plan. "Which means his goal is..."

Meanwhile, while demon and reaper fought, a lone demon sat, still working with his crochet hook, but now the one line of stitches had turned into a small, delicately patterned circle which grew by the moment as he worked around and around...

_The spider's thread twining around a snow-white soul...Chain it to form one row, a second row...and after the turn, a third._

A bird landed on Claude's shoulder, having decided that the man wasn't going to move anytime soon.

Ciel Phantomhive continued to run down the alleyways, searching for his butler. "Where are you, Sebastian? I'm coming too! I'll see everything with my own eyes!" He was panting with exertion, but none of that mattered when he was so close to finding out what he had forgotten. A shadow passing along a window made him stop and turn his eyes down a side alleyway, where a figure was leaping over a wall. "Alois..." He gasped in surprise. Ciel turned towards the alleyway, only to wheel around at the sound of a barrel being knocked over. Alois was running down another alleyway, almost taunting him, as though begging Ciel to catch him. Ciel's eyes narrowed. "Your mocking never ends." He began to give chase, yelling, "Stop!" Alois reached a dead-end, where, surprisingly, he stopped. Ciel quickly caught up to him, then stopped, a victorious smile stretching across his face. "This is as far as you go, Alois Tran-"

"Found you, Alois Trancy!" Ciel was cut off by a rough voice calling behind him as a carriage pulled up and two men climbed out, just as Alois began to climb the wall in an attempt to escape. "Bloody nuisances..." Ciel muttered, before calling out to them. You're from the Yard? Go after him! He's getting aw-" The men suddenly grabbed Ciel by the arms and held him tight. Ciel fought the men with all his might, but they only gripped him tighter. "Don't try to fight us, Alois Trancy!" A third man stepped behind Ciel as he stopped his struggles to stare up at the man who had spoken. "You think I'm Alois? Get it straight! He's right-"

But Alois was nowhere to be seen.

"Take him in." The third man spoke, and at his command, the two men holding Ciel began to drag him to the carriage, ignoring his protests. "Let me go this instant!" Ciel yelled. "Who are you people?!" Ciel looked ahead to see yet another man, this time escorted by a maid, who had he eyes downcast. Ciel's eyes widened in recognition. "You're from the Trancy estate..." The man spoke.

"You're quite sure?" He asked. "Yes." The woman replied, "This is my master. Alois, Earl Trancy." Ciel gasped in shock. "What?!" But his protests went unnoticed as the man beside Hannah looked him over. "He appears extremely confused..." At this, the maid turned he head away. "My lord was repeatedly abused by his late father." She explained. Ciel confidence began to waver and he began to shake as h struggled to comprehend why the maid was telling these lies. Did she want him to be arrested? The maid looked back at him, the barest hint of a smile seeming to ghost across her lips as she continued, "I'm sorry to say that it affected his mind. He hates the mark carved into his eye by the previous Earl Trancy, and whe he sees a boy who resembles him, that hatred manifests itself. And it tells him, 'Gouge. Gouge.'" Suddenly, the "submissive maid" look was back on her face as she raised a hand to her face and said, "He took my eye as well." Ciel was getting sick of hearing this maid spout lies about him, to make him appear guilty. He was the Earl Ciel Phantomhive, and he was going to prove it. "How dare you!" He growled. Any hopes of defending himself were soon cut short as the maid continued on hastily, "His eye is the best proof." The man gasped, then turned and ordered, "Take off the patch." The man who wasn't keeping Ciel in place approached him, and Ciel renewed his efforts to escape. "Stop it!" He yelled, but his protests were in vain as his eye patch was ripped off and he was forced to open his eyes.

"Y-you're wrong..." He tried to say, "It's a sign of Sebastian and my..." But obviously none of them were buying it. "My master is a victim as well. I beg you'll show him mercy." Ciel felt as though her voice was the ringing of a death-bell as the men regained their composure and one of the barked, "Take him in!" Ciel struggled harder. "Stop this! Let me go!" The maid simply stood by and watched as Ciel was dragged away towards the carriage. Growing desperate, Ciel called for his butler, the panic evident in his voice. "Sebastian!" But Sebastian never appeared and nobody came to rescue him as he was forced into the carriage and taken away.

A chord was yanked, and the red machine started up again with a roar. Ronald Knox pumped his fist in victory. "All right!" He cheered, then noticed William and Sebastian still locked in battle. "Now, let's get this over with!" He said, wiping dust from his face. "You can bet _I'm _not working overtime. Ronald drove his scythe into the ground, causing Sebastian and William to leap out of the way in opposite directions.

Sebastian grimaced. "Even I'm at a disadvantage against two reapers." This was bad. His master was calling for him, he could feel the mark of the contract burning with the urgency of the command. His master was in danger, he didn't have time to be playing around with a couple of reapers. He needed to finish this up now. William turned his attention to Ronald and began to scold him.

"Ronald Knox, do you intend to fell me with your death scythe as well?" Ronald guiltily scratched his head. "Oh, did I cross the line? Sorry, I'm at that mischievous age." William began to correct his subordinate. "A grim reaper must judge situations swiftly and accurately. Are those glasses just for show?" As he moved his scythe to push up his own glasses, however, Sebastian's eyes widened, seeing his chance, and he quickly threw a knife, knocking the glasses of William's face. Smiling with his success, Sebastian turned and ran, the urgent and incessant burn of the contract pushing him to find his young master, and to crush whoever was threatening him. Could it be that _he_ has already...?

Ronald Knox ran towards the escaping demon with a gasp. "Sir, he's getting away." He said, but stopped short at a soft call of, "My spectacles..." Ronald gasped. William T. Spears, calm, cool, efficient, William T. Spears was on the ground, crawling about with his hands stretched out, feeling the ground before him, repeating with growing panic, "My spectacles...my spectacles!" Ronald Turned to face his senior. "Shouldn't we stop him before he's gone?" He asked uncertainly. William whipped around, pointing a finger. "Failure to understand the importance of a reaper's spectacles," He jabbed his finger for emphasis, "is ground for a pay cut!" Having lost his spectacles, however, he was not pointing at Ronald, but rather down the alleyway on his left. Ronald reached a hand up to his head. "Er...I don't even know where to begin." He said.

About a dozen birds were now perched on Claude's shoulders as he sat in his chair. A moment later, the birds flew away as he finally moved, standing up with a triumphant "Done." He stretched out his arms and gazed lovingly at his creation, a spider's web decorated with patterns and flowers. "Ciel Phantomhive..." He murmured, "I'll snare you in my web, pierce your skin with my teeth..." He placed the spider's web around his shoulders, and slowly licked his lips, relishing in the feeling. "...And while you writhe beneath me, I'll suck out that delectable soul of yours at my leisure..."

A large, manor-like estate loomed alone in the forest, large and desolate, to ensure that no one could ever know what was taking place within. "Why don't you start by telling me your name?" Ciel stared stubbornly down at the doctor as he stated, "Ciel Phantomhive." What an absurd question! He knew his name, would anyone ever believe him? How could they trust the word of a lowly maid over him, a noble? "Really, treating a noble like this? Have you the proper permission?" The doctor sighed thoughtfully, putting a hand on his chin. Ciel clenched his teeth. "The Queen! Contact the Queen! Yes, or even Sir Arthur! All I've said can be easily-" As he spoke, he took a step forward, and was immediately punched in the stomach, causing him to grunt and fold to the ground, his consciousness fading quickly. The doctor stood. "He's quite far gone." He stated solemnly. "Give him the special treatment."

Ciel Phantomhive choked, drowning, as he was plunged once again into the pool of deep green liquid. He was tied to a chair which was being lowered into the liquid, and brought out only long enough for him to gasp in a few, shuddering breaths and cough out the liquid that was filling his lungs before being plunged back in. The women working the wheel that raised and lowered the chair silently laughed at his suffering. Ciel was once again mercilessly plunged into the liquid. "Everything is receding..." He thought as the last remaining air spilled from his lungs in a cloud of bubbles. "Everything is..." He never finished the thought as the world faded into black...

Sebastian was beginning to panic. His master's pleas for help had suddenly started up again, more forcefully than before, and now, they were weakening as Sebastian felt the boy's consciousness slipping away from him. He needed to find his master. Now. He landed on the roof of the building, and glanced downwards. Guards and nurses alike lay on the ground with golden knives through their heads. Now he was certain this was the place. His master was inside, he just needed to get to him. He was about to head for the entrance when he was stopped by bullets being fired at him at an astonishing speed. Sebastian quickly dodged the bullets and waited for the assault to stop while a female voice spoke. "I apologize for not sending someone to fetch you, Sebastian." Sebastian smiled, but inside his rage was quickly growing. "No need. Your invitation was easy enough to understand. This is the exact centre of the web you laid out with these attacks. Hannah's eyes narrowed, and she fired at him once again with her gun. Sebastian danced out of the was as he patiently waited for a chance to counterattack.

Ciel sat shivering in a chair, with a blanket wrapped around his shoulders. I am...Ciel...Phantomhive..." He whispered, but the words were starting to lose their conviction, the effect of hours upon hours of interrogating and being dipped in that awful liquid, and then more interrogating...Nevertheless, he continued his attempts. "The Queen's...the Queen's...guard dog." A doctor sat at a desk, taking note of his words. "I lost my...father and mother..." The doctor stopped writing long enough to ask, "How did you lose them?" Ciel answered, unaware that the doctor currently interrogating was not the same one as before. This one was slowly working his way into Ciel's soul, planting doubts and uncertainties into his very memories.

"The mansion...burned..."

"Yes. It burned. The village you grew up in burned."

"I ran down the corridor..."

"Yes. you ran down the path to the outskirts of the village."

The "doctor" took Ciel trembling hand into his own, and placed a small ring on the boy's finger. A small, gold ring, with diamonds encircling a deep red ruby, the color of blood. Ciel gasped as Alois's soul began to mingle with his own, further clouding his memory and breaking his will. He stared at the unknown entity that now sat on his finger breaking him down piece by piece. The "doctor" fiddled with his glasses.

"You ran, and then you found..." The ring sparkled in the light, trying to force it's will on Ciel's.

"I found...my dead father and mother..."

"Yes. You found your dead brother."

"Brother?" Alois's soul was finally taking the upper hand, and Ciel was growing weaker by the second.

"You found him, and then what?"

"The old men took me..."

"Yes. The old man took you and..."

"Humiliated me..."

"The Earl Trancy did."

That was it. Ciel Phantomhive's soul finally cracked under the pressure of the slow manipulation. Ciel's eyes widened as he gave a soft gasp.

"Tran..."

He sent one final cry out to Sebastian as his blue eyes lost their sparkle.

"...cy..."

Claude fiddle with his glasses for a moment, the stopped as a victorious smirk spread across his features.

"...Yes..."

Hannah continued firing bullets, but gasped when she ran out of ammunition. Finally seeing his chance arrive, Sebastian dashed forward. Hannah ripped the front of her dress, attempting to reach the sword contained within her body, but Sebastian got there first. He punched her in the stomach, and caught her as she collapsed to the ground. His hand traveled up her stomach to gently press against her breasts as he spoke.

"The sheath that holds a demon's sword..." He reached down her front and grabbed the spare gun lodged there, pulling it out as Hannah gasped seeing as she had lost her final line of defense. Sebastian threw the gun away before continuing. "Why would someone so powerful be obeying Claude?" Hannah gasped, and looked away. "Claude..." Sebastian's anger finally came to a boiling point. His Master was in danger, he couldn't afford to waste time, he had to get to his master, and he had to get to his master _now_. He grabbed Hannah by the neck and held her above his head as she gasped for breath.

"We have a contract." Sebastian stated coldly. "Even if he's taken from me, he is still my young master. None of you can ever so much as taste his soul." Hannah began to speak. "Navy and...midnight blue...Two very similar memories..." Sebastian narrowed his eyes as she continued, a smirk appearing on her face. "True, none of us can so much as taste him." Her smirk widened into a grin that covered her whole face. "Not while he's still entirely your young master."

Sebastian gasped and his eyes widened as the last puzzle piece finally fell into place, too late. Much too late.

"I made a contract with Sebastian." Ciel Phantomhive stated, wondering if his was true. He didn't know anymore. This doctor seemed to, he could tell what was reality and what was illusion.

"Someone made a contract with Sebastian, and he started a fire."

"A fire..."

"Yes. Sebastian made a contract with your younger brother Luka, and burned your village to the ground."

"Luka...village...?" Ciel whispered, his memories still hazy.

"Yes." Claude affirmed. "Sebastian Michaelis entered into a contract with Luka, and you lost your only living relative." Ciel's memories were hazy, there was a fire, but the location seemed to change. First it was a manor, then a city...

"Relative..." He whispered. He could see the face. A young boy stared up at him with lifeless eyes. The young boy became two people sitting in chairs as the manor around them burned down. Then, a fire raged around a man, who turned around and gazed at Ciel with Cruel, heartless eyes.

Sebastian Michaelis.

Ciel gasped one more as he screamed, once, twice, again, clutching his head in agony as his throat became raw from the screaming, until finally he collapsed on the ground and moved no more.

Sebastian hurried down the corridors of the institute. He could fell his master's very soul shaking, quivering...

Breaking.

Suddenly a scream erupted from a room at the end of the hallway, the voice that of his young master. Sebastian raced with inhuman speed down the corridor, until he burst into the last door. "Young master!" He cried. His master lay face down on the floor, unconscious, but still breathing. He was soaking wet and trembling uncontrollably. Sebastian ran to his master's side. "Young Master..." But as soon as Sebastian laid his hands on the boy, he gasped and backed away from Sebastian, yelling, "Don't touch me!" Sebastian froze, instinctively pulling away, as his eyes widened. He didn't understand. "Young master." He murmured. He couldn't understand why his master looked at him with such fierce hatred.

"So you're the one who killed my parents, Sebastian Michaelis?!"

Sebastian gasped in shock. Claude had done it. He'd managed to twist and warp his master's soul...Suddenly, Sebastian noticed Claude standing behind him, in the corner of the room. Sebastian stood up, forcing a smile onto his face. "I didn't predict you mixing their memories. A ploy that would cloud the soul's taste never occurred to me. Sebastian glanced back at his young master. "He's soaked through...Did you dip him in a medicine to confuse him? Claude stepped forward, a small smirk on his face as he asked,

"Should I answer that, master?" Sebastian took a step forward. Had he heard right? Had Claude called the boy "Master"? Ciel got to his feet, staggering. "No need." He said. Sebastian could only stare. His young master was...giving orders...to Claude?

Claude stepped forward and stood beside the young boy. Sebastian gasped as Claude bent down and whispered into his Master's ear...much like he had done. Ciel looked up at Claude before saying, "I know." Ciel turned to face Sebastian, then shifted his hair out of his eyes to reveal the mark of the contract. Sebastian gasped in horror. He couldn't...he wouldn't possibly...not to him...his butler...But he did. Ciel pointed at Sebastian and said, "This is an order: get out of my sight!"

Sebastian gasped and staggered back a few steps. It couldn't be...this couldn't be happening...his master...his young master...

Claude brought his glasses down to his face before playing with them. "To a butler, the master's orders are absolute." Sebastian took in Claude's words, and managed to compose himself. He bowed, placing a hand over his heart as he always did, and left the room, excusing himself from his master's presence...permanently. Ciel continued to glare at him all the way out.

The door swung shut. Sebastian heard his master groan softly, and then he heard the rustle of clothes and the rushing of air as his young master collapsed. It took all of his willpower not to run back inside. He heard Claude gasp, and wrap his arms around the boy to keep him from falling. "Master." He said, his voiced laced with concern. Sebastian began to shake. That should be him. That should be _him_. How dare he lay his filthy hands on his young master, how _dare_ he steal his young master from him! He heard his young master speak again, his voice barely above a whisper.

"I'm...tired..." His shaking voice betrayed a weariness that went far beyond the body, the weariness of a soul that had been tempered with for far too long and couldn't withstand the strain any longer. Claude spoke. "Of course." Sebastian could feel the boy's consciousness starting to fade as he spoke again. "I want to sleep..." Sebastian heard the boy go limp as his eyes closed and the last of his consciousness left him, leaving him weak and vulnerable...in Claude arms. Claude allowed a smirk to stretch across his face as he whispered, "Yes, Your Highness."

Sebastian walked out among the grounds. He could feel his demonic aura growing, but could do nothing to stop it. "I took a shamefully long time to prepare dinner." He said. His demonic aura began to manifest itself, surrounding his body with a greenish aura that pulsated off his body as he spoke again. "And now look what's happened." Even his shadow began to twist and morph with his aura as his rage continued to build, completely unchecked. "Delaying diner is absolutely not allowed. However, first...As a butler to the Phantomhives, I must clear away the spider webs." His eyes glowed a demonic fuchsia with a look that would have frightened off even the boldest of devils.

"...That's plain."

"Welcome home."

Claude stepped into he manor, carrying a limp Ciel Phantomhive. He had wrapped the shawl he had stitched around _his_ young master's shoulders to keep him from catching cold. All four servants bowed before him, one of the triplets dressed differently from the others, holding a blonde wig in his arms. Claude smiled lovingly at his young master as he spoke. "Golden into navy, navy into midnight blue, and...Alois Trancy into Ciel Phantomhive." He finished, gazing at his young master's peaceful countenance, his smooth, even breathing making his heart flutter. "That's what makes one hell of a butler", he murmured to himself in a whisper. He walked into the foyer and stopped just past Hannah. "Draw him a hot bath." Hannah's eyes remained downcast as she replied, "Of course." Claude continued. "He'll catch cold like this, hot water will warm up our master-no, our young master-all the faster.

**So? I know I most certainly got a case of the shivers just by writing this ;) Reviews give me the same feeling! Oh, yes, I kind of mingled the english and japanese phrases for that "pierce your skin with my hook" part, because I liked the "at my leisure" part in the japanese, but that "and while you writhe beneath me" was just so...never mind. That's just my brain for you.**


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